“I’m proud to be a union worker,” Finley and Gurley both wrote on their Twitter accounts. “Support Wisconsin workers & Get Out the Vote on Tues.”

Football players in the National Football League are represented by the union called the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).

The recall elections are the culmination of months of effort by state Democrats and labor unions who spearheaded a backlash against the first-term governor, who ran afoul of public opinion last year. Shortly after taking office, the well-funded tea party favorite joined Republicans in the state senate in attempting to strip public labor unions of their ability to collectively bargain.

Throughout the winter and spring of 2011, demonstrators lined the streets and sidewalks of Wisconsin’s capital city, Madison. At the time, a number of current and former members of the Green Bay Packers, as well as the NFLPA, announced their support for the union protests.

“The NFL Players Association will always support efforts protecting a worker’s right to join a union and collectively bargain,” the NFL players union said in a statement from February 2011. “The NFLPA stands in solidarity with its organized labor brothers and sisters in Wisconsin.”

Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch (R) and four Wisconsin Republican state senators all face recall elections on Tuesday. Walker’s Democratic challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, is trailing the governor by 3 percentage points, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released on Monday.

About the Author

Eric W. Dolan has served as an editor for Raw Story since August 2010,
and is based out of Sacramento, California. He grew up in the suburbs
of Chicago and received a Bachelor of Science from Bradley University.
Eric is also the publisher and editor of the psychology news website PsyPost. You can follow him on
Twitter @ewdolan.